The 5 Most Valuable Sports Teams in California

There is a long list of major league teams in California, which includes some of the most popular franchises in the leagues. California has 18 major professional sports teams, most of which are highly valuable.

This article looks at the most valuable teams in the Golden State.

Los Angeles Rams

Source: kslsports.com

The list begins with the Rams, who won the Super Bowl LVI. They are also the fourth most valuable team in the country. The Rams are the richer of the two NFL teams from Los Angeles, valued at $6.2 billion according to Forbes Magazine data.

Previously, they were much further down on the list. Their luck turned when they moved back to LA from St. Louis in 2016, where they had played their home games since 1994.

The Rams lost to the Patriots in Super Bowl LIII and moved into the luxury SoFi Stadium in 2020. Forbes data also shows the Rams’ value has increased by 176% during the past five years. They are likely to keep growing in the future and might even find a spot in the top 10. You can see the latest game lines and futures at playca.com.

We have to mention that they recently got a new stadium that is worth over $6 billion, and their popularity is growing rapidly, which is another indicator that the value will become much higher as well.

Golden State Warriors

Source: goldenstateofmind.com

According to Forbes, the Bay Area-based NBA team is worth $5.6 billion, giving it the second spot on the ranking of the most valuable sports teams in California. In 2023, superstars Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry, and Draymond Green are still leading the team, which has three NBA Championship wins under its belt (in 2015, 2017, and 2018). Surprisingly, they managed to add another title in 2023 as well.

Also, they are a big favorite to do the same in a 2023/23 season. Still, it will be more challenging, and they need some refreshment in terms of new players in the squad.

The team’s value received a massive boost after they moved to Chase Center in 2019, a $1.4 billion swanky sports facility in San Francisco. Their value has grown by 147% in the past five years.

Los Angeles Lakers

Source: forbes.com

LA’s other NBA franchise is reportedly worth some $5.5 billion, right behind Golden State and the third most valuable sports team in California. The Lakers might catch up and even surpass them because they are one of the two best-performing teams in NBA history. They have the most championship wins with 17, tying with the Celtics. They also have Lebron James, four-time NBA MVP, four-time NBA Finals MVP, four-time NBA champ, and marquee superstar.

James led the team to victory in 2020, which contributed to the team’s value hike of 70% percent in the past five years.

The terrain is one area where the Lakers don’t excel. Chase Center is two decades younger than Staples Center, recently renamed Crypto.com Arena.

The interesting thing is that this club is one of the most popular in the world, and one of the main reasons for that is their history full of great players and amazing achievements. They are facing some ups and downs in recent years, but we are expecting that they will manage to find the right form and tactics to reach the top positions again.

San Francisco 49ers

Source: forbes.com

Historically speaking, the San Francisco 49ers are more successful than the Rams but are less valuable now. Still, the value of $5.2 billion brings some appeal to the five-time Super Bowl champions. The team has gained 41% in value during the past five years and is moving swiftly up in the rankings.

Much of their growth has occurred since 2014, when the team moved to the modern Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, worth $1.3 billion. They are having a pretty decent results in this season, and they are currently in the fifth place, and on the top of the NFL West Division. If they continue with good results, that will attract new sponsors and players, which will help them to reach an even higher value over time.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Source: latimes.com

One of the Golden State’s five MLB teams rounds out the top 5. The Dodgers are the second most valuable baseball team in the US. The team is worth $4.08 billion, way below the New York Yankees with $6 billion.

The Dodgers are a seven-time World Series winner, with their latest victory happening as recently as 2020. They also have a record 24 National League wins.

The team still plays its home games at Dodger Stadium, which was built decades ago. It was renovated for $100 million in advance of the 2020 season.

Much of the Dodgers’ growth is attributed to MLB growth in general. MLB teams have become very valuable in the past decade. They recently reached $1.9 billion on average, which is an all-time high that’s likely to be broken soon.

Other Valuable Teams

Source: lagconfidential.com

We have to start with popular soccer clubs from LA, the Galaxy, and LAFC. Both of these clubs have teams with a value of over $450 million. The interesting fact about that value is that it can be compared to the value of some good clubs in Europe.

When we compare that value to the top clubs in Europe, we can see that it is the same as Juventus FC, Newcastle United, West Ham, and very close to top clubs like Napoli, Dortmund, and Borussia Dortmund, which are among the best clubs in Europe at the moment.

They are still far from the top names like Manchester City, PSG, Liverpool, and Bayern Munich, but if the trends continues, we can expect new investments and bigger rivarly to European clubs. The soccer is getting more popular in the US, especially in California and Florida.

Another reason for such a high value of different sports teams is related to the culture of people who prefer watching these games on stadiums, which is full of entertainment. While there is a difference when it comes to cheering and supporting the club, the feeling of watching sports in the US is like a party full of unique details that you won’t find in any other country.

Also, the sponsors are the main factor that is leading to these huge values. When we combine that will great attendance to all of these sports events, it si not a surprise that so many clubs in California are worth billions of dollars.

It is expected that the top 5 clubs that we mentioned in this article will continue to be in the top in the future as well. On the other side, the growing popularity of soccer might get theams like LA Galaxy and LAFC much closer to them in terms of value. They are already known for bringing some famous name from European leagues to play there.